In Case You Missed It: January Podcast Roundup

Podcasts are great. They can teach us things, make us laugh, and keep us company on a long, lonely night. But much like those emails from the IRS I keep getting, un-listened-to episodes can pile up quickly and become too overwhelming. Instead of doing what I do with those IRS emails (deleting them all), what if there were a way you could sift through the mess and find the ones that matter most? Ah! Here at Netschtick, we have a team of highly trained podcast connoisseurs who listen to all the podcasts they can, swish them around in their mouths, and spit out the best.

In case you missed them, here is a roundup of podcast highlights from January 2014 for your listening pleasure. If there are noteworthy podcast episodes you think we missed, put them in comments!

The guys at Comedy Bang Bang! put together a Best Of list that combines the top 15 moments from 2013 as voted on by the listeners. It’s hosted by ‘frequent’ guest Paul F. Tompkins and of course Scott Aukerman. All four parts are well worth a listen but if you are low on time just check out Part 4 , which goes through the top three moments from the year. Without ruining anything, they are all hysterical. The number one episode involves one of the best characters to come out of the show, Fourvel played by SNL’s Bobby Moynihan.

Guest Star Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation and House of Lies) is joined by Coco Marx (Groucho Marx’s grandson, played by Horatio Sanz) who discusses his new comedy career. Any Episode with Ben Schwartz is a must listen. He and Scott have a really great back and forth that’s always entertaining.

Nick Kroll and Jenny Slate are joined by Liz and Pretty Liz from to talk about the upcoming season of Kroll Show. Kroll is always a great guest, and Sylvester Stallone even stops by to try and cast the Pretty Liz in a movie.

Guest Ted Leo joins Jake Fogelnest to chat and play a few songs. Even though Ted’s reaction to videos of Teddy Bear the Porcupine alone makes this episode worth a listen, the conversation is great, the live tunes are great, and the “musician’s commentary” of Ted Leo’s video for “Bottled in Cork” (which was directed by Tom Sharpling and featured Paul F. Tompkins, Julie Klausner, and John Hodgman) is especially great.

If the name Sasheer Zamata sounds familiar, it’s because shortly after this episode aired she debuted as featured player on SNL. Get to know Sasheer as she and hostess Julie Klausner discuss topics like Beyoncé’s new album and Sasheer’s web series, “Pursuit of Sexiness.”

There is no guest on this episode, but Kumail and Emily discuss especially interesting topics: why Wii U is failing, how the lost SNES game Nightmare Busters was finally released in 2013, and what kinds of religious video games actually exist in the world.

This episode might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s worth mentioning in case you missed it. In this hostful episode, Chris and Jonah hash out some of their personal issues with each other while Matt comes across as a little kid who loves both his arguing parents very much. Whether or not you’re on board with this serious episode, you have to admit it’s ballsy for the guys to address their feud head on and in front of microphones.

Hilarious fan favorite moments from 2013 are presented in this two-parter. If you haven’t yet become a Blastronaut, and your New Year’s resolution happens to be to listen to more podcasts, this is a really good introduction to Professor Blastoff to get you up to speed. If you’re already a fan, you’ll almost certainly laugh out loud at both the fan favorites and the new conversations.

There are lots of common “facts” that everyone knows, but it turns out a lot of them are actually false. Join Josh and Chuck as they put on their berets and suspenders and take the hot air out of some common everyday myths to make this a slightly smarter world.

Ed Begley, Jr., quintessential “that guy,” has an impressive filmography spanning several decades. He’s also pretty huge on environmentalism and green livin’. What makes this interview a gem though are his first-hand stories from out-of-control 1960s-70s Hollywood. (He hung out with the Mansons. Seriously.)